Shakespeare, John c.1530-1601
English glover and wool dealer

Born in Snitterfield, near Stratford, Warwickshire, he was the father of William Shakespeare. After apprenticeship to a leathersmith and glove-maker, he set up his own business in Stratford. It prospered and he was soon securely established in his house and workshop in Henley Street. In 1557 he married Mary, daughter of Robert Arden, a gentleman farmer and landowner in the nearby parish of Wilmcote; she inherited good farm land when her father died. In 1559 he was elected burgess, and six years later became an alderman. In 1568 he was made Bailiff (Mayor) of Stratford and a justice of the peace. His wool business failed in 1577, but he managed to retain possession of his house in Henley Street, although his wife's inheritance had to be mortgaged. In 1592 he was rescued by his son William, whose earnings in the London theatre were by then enough to restore the family's position. John Shakespeare never again played an active part in Stratford's civic life, but he received his coat of arms in 1596.